A note from the desk of Tyr'll…

No I'm not dead yet, just have a lot of stress with my parents threatening to take away my internet card…

Watch it, I feel good. I hope this directly influences my story chapter. I really appreciate the reviews; I needed them to continue the story. I really don't ask for much, just a few words of encouragement and a hint or two on what I should do.

By the way, this is not a self-insertion fic. I'll admit, it started that way, but Shigawan's persona suddenly decided to leave its path and take on a different form. He's now his own man. He's totally free of my strange thoughts.

And however strong he looks now, he just looks that way. I mean, taking a seasoned martial artist and pitting him against a girl who attacks out of raw fury, what did you expect? Trust me, Motoko's battle will be more interesting…

Now on with the show!

Motoko was strolling around the dorm for some fresh air. Training was difficult when sparring partners were sparse. All she could do was work on her physical strength and stamina. She needed interaction to work any further on either her battle stances or her reflexes.

She sighed against the wind. Her ebony hair trailed behind her as she walked at a slower pace, beginning to appreciate the beauty of the woods around her. The sounds of the wildlife moving about in search of food to fill their autumn stocks were evident to her.

Her katana was strapped loosely at her side and frequently rubbed against her legs as she walked. It served as a constant reminder of who she was. As the heir to her clan's training dojo, she was required to return one day to receive it and to serve as a master teacher. She wished that it wasn't her calling to be whisked away at a moments notice, but because of her older sister's marriage, she was the only one who could take the job.

Perhaps this is why she despises males so. Because of her sister's husband, she is unable to choose her own life style. She is unable to escape the fate that she so despises, yet must respect due to its deserving of respect.

"Can I truly have misinterpreted my feelings?" wondered Motoko. "Maybe I have indeed wronged all of the men I have shunned, such as Urashima…feh! What am I thinking! They all deserved what they got, especially Urashima! They are all foul and perverted beasts. They are unhonorable and cannot be trusted."

It was as she came upon this little breakthrough that she happened to walk into full view of the front lawn.

Surveying the scene, slightly disinterested, her eyes fell upon the motionless body of Naru. Her eyes widened. Motoko reacted instantly, bolting over to the inert girl as fast as possible, the sound of her shoes pounding against the pavement being the only sound now being made.

When Motoko reached Naru, she fell to her knees, the impact against the pavement causing her to wince, but not to shirk from her self appointed task. She had to find out what had happened.

From her position next to Naru, Motoko began to check her vitals, noting that all her essentials were operating to their fullest. She sighed in relief.

Motoko knew that too much nonessential movement when unconscious and recovering from an accident wasn't good for you, so she made herself comfortable and sat in a meditive position. She took a deep breath.

She was curious about what had befallen the red haired girl, but brushed it off thinking instead of the need to ward off any men who might attempt to take advantage of Naru in her state of helplessness. Especially Urashima…

Shigawan's stomach rumbled. His face subconsciously grimaced. Looking at the blue haired girl that trotted beside him, he wondered.

"Didn't Keitaro say she was a cook?" he mused. "God, I'm hungry, it feels as if my stomach is digesting itself!"
Shigawan had already visited his room and the living room. He wanted, no NEEDED, the kitchen to be next.

"Shinobu? Could we, umm, go to the kitchen next? I'm starved!"

"Really?" she responded, giggling at the face he made to show his immediate need of food. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Actually," he revealed, "I've been a little low on cash lately, so I haven't eaten for a few days…"

"WHAT!" she cried, shocked. She grabbed his hand and dragged him across the entire building to reach the kitchen. "Here. Sit here!" She stopped next to the table, leaving him to rush to heat up some of the wrapped food that she had prepared earlier for Keitaro. She was sure he would understand.

Waiting out at the table, Shigawan rested his head and clutched his stomach. Why didn't he feel hungry until just now? Whatever, he dismissed the wonderment when another wave of hunger hit him, causing him to groan loudly.

Apparently, the sound of the groan reached one of the tenets very sensitive ears. Tossing her light blond hair, Kaolla bounced into the kitchen to witness a sight that almost made her laugh. Shigawan's face was contorted in a way that was almost unrecognizable.

Kaolla plopped into the seat directly across from Shigawan and placed her head on her hands. When Shigawan finally opened his eyes, he found himself staring into a pair of bright green eyes. They stared back.

He was about to say something when Shinobu rushed over with the food and placed a huge meal in front of him. He cheered.

"Thank you sooo much Shinobu!" he cried before launching himself into the feast. Just watching him made Kaolla hungry, but then she was always hungry…

Kaolla reached out for one of the bowls, only to find that Shigawan had already pushed some of the food in her direction. She gave him a dazzling smile then dug in herself.

They still hadn't said a word to each other…

Back in the front yard, Naru's eyes flickered. Motoko heard her moan and was instantly out of her meditive position and at her side. Placing her hand on Naru's shoulder, Motoko helped the recently awakened girl up. Naru winced at the motion.

"Are you hurt Naru?" Motoko asked, concerned for her friends health.

"Jeez, my head…What happened?" she scratched the back of her head in an attempt to remember.

"I am unsure," Motoko started. "When I arrived here for my morning walk, I found you lying in the grass. A bruising on the back of your head seems to point towards having your head beaten by a sturdy circular blunt weapon. Maybe a hammer-"

"What? Did you say hammer?" asked Naru, freaking out.

"Ummm, that's what it points to…"

"I remember now!" Here her eyes darkened. "This is all Keitaro's fault for bringing him here."

"Bringing who here?" her voice rose slightly at the mention of Keitaro's name and the implication of another man being nearby. Who knows what acts of perversion Keitaro could pull with an accomplice!

"You mean, he hasn't told you?"

"No, I have not seen Urashima today, with the exception of the incident in the hot springs this morning…" her faced reddened slightly remembering that particular part of the day.

"Well, apparently he has brought another man here for help with his perverted means. When I attempted to give Keitaro his just desserts, the boy stepped up and hit me when I wasn't looking."

"Boy?" inquired Motoko.

"Yeah, the kid was about Kaolla and Shinobu's age. Spiked black hair, large coat, you can't miss him!"

"Hmm, strange. I have not yet met such a youth, or felt any significant power in the building…"

"He doesn't need power, he hit me when I wasn't looking with that mallet of his!"

"I suppose…well, this does not matter. What matters is that at the moment our peace is at stake. With more than one man here, who knows what acts of perversion Keitaro could pull!" Motoko spat the word man out as if it were a curse, a very nasty curse.

Motoko stood, grasping Naru's hand in her own. Naru winced at the quick change in position and almost fell, although Motoko caught her. Leaning back into Motoko's embrace, Naru cleared her spinning senses.

Concentrating, Naru broke away from Motoko and began her short walk into the inn. Whenever Motoko tried to help, Naru simply waved her off. She needed to do this herself. Her pride was at stake.

"I will not be beaten by that little upstart," Naru thought to herself, "I will teach him a lesson…"

Each step was in agony; she seemed to be taking much too long to make it to the close-by inn. Her feet dragged along the path to the door, causing her shoes to become dusty.

"This is ridiculous!" She thought, "How can I be having this much of a problem after a single hit! A hit made by one lucky kid?"

Naru finally reached the dorm's front door. She collapsed and plummeted to the ground.

But she didn't make it that far.

Before she could finish her face plant, she was caught. Her savior slightly struggled under the pressure of her body, but managed to stay upright. She felt herself being carried over to the living room couch, and lied down.

Naru struggled to open her eyes. She got them open a crack, and saw Keitaro bending over her, making sure she was comfortable. She tried to tell him she was okay, to leave her alone when she caught another's gaze.

She stared into Shigawan's eyes for a second, until he came over from leaning on a wall behind Keitaro. He made his way over to her and leaned over her.

She felt his warm breath blow across her face as he leaned in. When he got in close enough he whispered…

"I apologize for my unfairness to you outside. Perhaps I can make it up to you later, but for now you must sleep. Normally this would not be a good thing to do, but trust me when I say that all you need to feel one hundred percent again is a good long nap."

Naru tried to respond with and okay, but found herself unable to, so she simply nodded.

Satisfied that she was going to take his advice, Shigawan headed back to his wall again.

"Maybe he isn't so bad..after…all…" Naru drifted off to sleep with a sigh of relief. Staying conscious really had taken a lot out of her.

Motoko watched in disbelief at the scene in front of her. There he was, the child that Naru spoke of.

He didn't resonate any power to speak of, but he still caused her to feel uneasy. She watched him as he make his way over to Naru after Keitaro over had carried her to the couch, as he didn't have the strength or stamina to take her to her room.

Motoko's face reddened slightly as she saw Shigawan lean in close, as if to kiss the seemingly asleep Naru. When he pulled away, she acted on pure instinct. While he was still a child, nobody deserved to get away scott free after almost taking advantage of Naru like that.

She decided to scare the child a little bit, not enough to actually hurt him, but to knock some sense into him. She could challenge him to a duel…

Yes, she would challenge him. He would intimidated by her prowess with a blade if it was shown to him first hand, and may make a future note to not act in any perverted sense. Yes, nip the bud before it has a chance to bloom.

She nodded to herself and slowly made her way to Shigawan.

She had made her decision.

Sorry to end it here, but I like to keep my chapters a little short…I don't know why. This is already my longest one so you should be happy. I like to lean towards quality and not quantity.

Thanks for reading this chapter, the next one will include Motoko vs Shigawan. I personally look forward to writing that scene, but if anybody wants to give me some ideas on how that should work out, let me know. I really like to have things in my reserve.

Please review, I have been working hard on this and would like to have that recognized…

"Sadness is a fact of life, it only exists to fill the void left by Happy."